The Last of the Dragons
by aboywhowantedtobegod
Summary: Medieval AU. Banished from her rightful place as the heir to the throne of Remnant, Yang Xiao Long must prepare herself if she is to take back the throne, and bring justice to her family. Rated M for violence, and swearing. Cover image not mine, credit goes to tzekiel-deviantart-com-art-Medieval-Champion-Yang-548805613. *ON HIATUS*
1. Chapter 1: An exile's plan

The mid winter's snow fell heavily on the mountain path, painting the world in white. The wind screamed and threatened to tear apart anything, man or beast. In a small cave on the edge of the treacherous pass, a small group of eight were surrounding a weak, flickering fire, taking shelter from the violent storm that raged outside. They were in the midst of a long pilgrimage, cursed and forced away from their home for their loyalty to the blonde warrior who led the party. She stood as tall as any normal man, and had the strength of a thousand. While most warriors fought with swords or spears, she fought almost exclusively with bladed gauntlets, battered and scratched from battle, but still glinting proudly in the dim light. She didn't wear a cape like the rest of her followers. As a matter of fact, she dressed as though it was the height of summer, and simply used her own internal strength to keep her warm instead of depending on the fire like the rest of her friends.

Her name was Yang Xiao Long, and she was the true heir to the throne of Remnant.

She stood guard at the cave's entrance. Though it was unlikely anyone would be tracking her during the storm, she wasn't taking any chances. She was mislabelled an enemy of the kingdom, and had been hunted ever since. She didn't care much for her own fate, but she wasn't about to let her friends die on her behalf. As the small band slept around a small fire, the youngest of the group – a small girl of fifteen called Ruby - found struggled restlessly in her sleep. While the majority of the party were battle hardened veterans, or lived long enough to brave many winters, she had always survived the harshest winters from the sheltered confines of castle keeps. In fact, she spent the majority of her life locked away in safety, though back then, she had longed to go out and see the world and all it had to offer. However, a well protected home was a luxury that she lost when she swore to stand by Yang, no matter what.

Being her beloved half sister and best friend, she felt it was her duty to be there for her, even at the cost of a comfy bed.

Yang turned and noticed the little one shivering uncontrollably, making her heart drop slightly. Though she was given the majority of the skins and blankets the group had, Ruby was still clearly suffering from the cold. Yang loved every one of the men and women who had sworn their lives to follow her against all odds, but her younger sister held a special place in her heart. Even when their parents were alive and the pair had seen better days, Yang had made a promise to herself to look after her sister, now more than ever since she was the only remaining family she had left. Without a second of hesitation, she abandoned her guard duty and crouched by her sister, wrapping her up in her protective embrace. The sudden change in positon stirred Ruby from her light sleep

"Yang-"

"Shhh, just let me do this,"

Shifting so that they both were more comfortable, Yang used her semblance and heated herself to a temperature that would've warmed Ruby quickly but comfortably. Yang would've went as hot as she could go, but that would have risked burning Ruby, so she heated her core slowly, testing Ruby's reaction. Feeling her little sister finally relax and shiver less, she smiled softly and kissed the top of her sister's scalp.

"Better?"

Ruby looked up at her sister, amethyst eyes meeting platinum. She smiled softly, and give a single nod of her head.

"Better,"

A third set of eyes flickered open and noticed the display of affection, and while he was slightly envious of the fact that Ruby had her own personal source of heat, he decided to use this to lighten the mood slightly.

"Can we have some of those skins if you're comfy enough? Or you got cuddles for all us, Yang?" It seemed to work as Ruby chuckled softly and his fearless leader rolled her eyes at him but smiled anyway.

"Sorry, Jaune, only cuddles for this one," However, she quickly tossed the skins and blankets to each and every one of her sleeping followers, saving Jaune for last. She finally threw him a large bear skin, and though the black fur almost engulfed him at first, his head popped out from underneath it and he flashed her a quick thumbs up before trying to finding a spot he could be comfortable in on the rocky floor. Yang smiled at the young man. Though he was a barely experienced solider and at times could be an idiot, Yang appreciated the boy for standing by her when not many would. She looked around the cavern, thinking about her comrades who condemned themselves to being outcasts because of her.

The first of her companions she noticed was Pyrhha Nikos, a general who served under Yang's father. She was a brilliant strategist and nigh unbeatable in combat. Yang and Pyrhha were roughly the same age and had spent the majority of their lives together. Though their personalities seemed to differ vastly, the auburn haired woman and blonde haired brawler had always been the best of friends. Currently, she lay next to Jaune, besides various pieces of her armour, all set up in a neat pile and settled down, snuggled in with the blonde. Yang smirked at the sight.

The second was Nora Valkyrie. If there was anyone who could rival Yang based on brute strength alone, it was her spunky ginger friend. She too served under her father and grew up alongside Yang. However, while Pyrhha was famous for being an intelligent and calculating warrior, Nora was known throughout the land for her strength and brutality. Nora never lost a battle. However, that wasn't to say she was psychotic. When it came to war, she was merely a solider who followed orders. When it came to the matter of friends and allies, she was a loving and caring human, fiercely loyal to anybody who showed her even an ounce of kindness.

She was fidgeting and moving as she laid next the next of Yang's companions, Lie Ren. At first glance, people would assume Nora and Ren were lovers. If anyone knew them on a personal basis, they would actually know they were the best of friends. Both scenarios seemed confusing to everyone though, as Nora and Lie couldn't have been more different. While Nora was loud and bombastic, Ren was quiet and methodical. While Nora made her living off war, Ren earned his keep by ending wars before they had even begun. He was an assassin and a personal bodyguard to Taiyang, Yang's father. Nobody – save the people close to him – knew about him being an assassin. Though he had no reputation throughout the land, people deep within the Vale's military recognized him as one of the most lethal humans alive.

The final two were wrapped up in each other's arms, under multiple deer skins. The first was a young woman, Blake Belladonna. She slept with her cloak on and only a single deer skin, hiding her jet black hair, cat ears and pale skin. Much like Ren, she too was an assassin, but instead of carrying out missions essential for the kingdom's survival, she only had one purpose in life: defend Yang at all costs. But that wasn't to say that their relationship was strictly professional. As soon as Blake was tasked with Yang's protection, the blonde brawler found it quick and easy to befriend the usually shy girl.

Her companion on the other hand was a different story. With hair as white as snow, and her skin nearly the same shade as Blake's, she was also one of Yang's bodyguards. A "gift" from one of the royal families closest to the Xiao Longs. It took almost a year of patience and kindness for Yang to break through the girl's hard emotional shield, but it was worth all the time and energy. Despite butting heads occasionally, Weiss and Yang were as close as friends could possibly get. Blake found it a lot more easier to get through to the girl. In the same time that it took Yang to get Weiss' friendship, it took Blake the same amount of time to get Weiss' love and affection. When news fled through the kingdom that Princess' Yang's bodyguards, the majority didn't care, but the smaller minority thought it "unprofessional" and even smaller minority laughed at the idea of the youngest Schnee daughter and a faunus sharing the same bed. However, Yang didn't care for them. They were still her friends and she loved them dearly.

Turning away from her resting friends, she looked back out towards the mouth of the cave, slipping deeper into thought. This was not the life she wanted for her friends. This was not the life she wanted for Ruby. And Yang certainly didn't picture herself being in this situation. But all thanks to the betrayal of one man close to her family, here they were.

But it wouldn't last forever.

Ever since her exile, Yang had been plotting on to retake her family's home and reclaim her place on the throne. The plan sounded simple in theory: recruit the help of the surrounding clans. However, in practice, it was easier said than done. Some of the clans were hostile towards the Xiao Long family, and convincing them to fight for her cause would be a monumental task. Even the clans friendly to the Xiao Longs would take some amount of persuasion to risk their lives for her. And even once that was done, it was going to be another trial altogether to train multiple clans into one giant army. The whole thing would take months at minimum, but more realistically taking years and even decades.

But Yang had faith. It would be done.

If it was the last thing she did.

_(Notes: And let it be known that a fanfiction writer somewhere in the cold tundras of Scotland__got fed up with studying, and thus, a new story was born! *insert epic music*. Ok, so this was a random little idea I have been thinking up for a while, and I decided to take a little break from my shiter of a course to work on some writing. I didn't exactly know how to write this chapter, and this is what I finally settled with. I know it isn't brilliant, but I hope the upcoming story will be better. Let me know what you think! Take care guys, and ADIOS!)_


	2. Chapter 2: A wanted woman

A tall thin man stood on the edge of a balcony, looking over the city below him and the surrounding snow covered plains, mountains decorating the horizon. A thick, cold gale blew violently, threatening to rip his expensive cloak on. But he didn't care much for the cold temperatures. Even the warmest weather, a single young woman's existence was enough to keep him awake at night. Even if it was just her, Yang Xiao Long posed a threat to the new king's plan to rule Remnant. If there was as so much as a rumour that Taiyang's daughter was alive and well, the people would gather in mobs to question his rule. Even Ruby Rose- Yang's half sister – was enough of a threat to demand his attention. He snapped out of his gloom thoughts when he heard the door behind him click open.

He turned around to find a single woman, standing at attention. She had long silver hair, tied up in an immaculate braid. She wore white plate armour, scratched and battered from many skirmishes. However, the Schnee insignia was still visible through all the battle damage, a black snowflake that covered her chest plate. Finally, she had a two single handed short blades hanging off her belt. Though the wind was bitter cold, she seemed undeterred by the freezing temperatures. The old man wasn't surprised by her presence. After all, he was the one who had sent for her.

"You're late," he remarked.

"I apologize, sir, I was dealing with some unruly recruits," She answered back, her voice just as monotone as her king's.

"That is no excuse. When your king calls for you, you answer immediately" He replied back sharply, though his sudden harshness got no obvious reaction from the young woman. "No matter, I have a new assignment. You are being charged with the hunt for Yang Xiao Long,"

When the young captain heard the final sentence, her eyes gleamed with excitement and one corner of her mouth perked up slightly. Finally, she thought, a mission worthy of my talents, not to mention the promotion afterwards. Another reason she was excited to go after such a high valued target would that if she were to bring Yang to justice, she would finally have her king's long sought after respect. However, her excitement merely lasted a second before her face dropped back to its usual blank expression to listen to the rest of her king's orders.

"Now, I don't need to tell you the importance of this task. She is the final obstacle standing between me and total control of the land. You are to hire a small team of men, and hunt down the dragon down and her companions. I care not for the fate of those who follow her, you may do with them as you please. However, Yang's death is what matters to me. You slay her, and you can expect riches beyond your wildest dreams. Any questions?"

The young solider gave a single shake of her head, already eager to get the hunt underway.

"Then you are dismissed."

The woman nodded her head, and turned on her heel, ready to sprint towards her barracks but the old man's voice stopped her.

"Oh, and Winter? There can not be any mistakes, you must not fail me, do you understand?"

"I understand, father. There won't be any,"

And at this, Winter Schnee turned on her heel and sprinted away as soon as she was out of her father's eyesight, while Cassius Schnee returned to his position at his balcony, this time smiling. Winter was a competent solider, and had never failed a single mission. Though Yang was a worthy opponent, Cassius had the utmost confidence that victory was within his grasp. He had conveniently left the fact that Winter could be facing her younger sister in the future, but he trusted Winter would not fail him.

Within a few days, the continent of Remnant would be his. At long last.

**oo0oo**

Yang and her followers were finally glad to see the end of the mountain trail. Though the dense forest they now travelled through was still thickly covered with snow, the fall had reduced to a merciful light flurry, with only a fractional amount of wind. Today, Yang had worn her thick, fur cloak with the hood up. It wasn't that the cold bothered her, but the skin acted as a barrier between the snow and Yang's glorious mane. Her hair which fell down to just above the back of her hip was her pride and joy, and despite its overall shaggy appearance, Yang took meticulous care with it, and getting it soaked would have been an annoyance to her. She took a look at her companions to see how they were fairing. Everyone seemed to be having no difficulty in travelling, even Ruby. Though she was struggling to trudge through the violent storm in the mountains, she seemed her usual happy herself, humming herself a tune while she skipped through the thin layer of snow, her large scythe clinking against her back with each stride she took. The sight brought a large smile to Yang's face before she fell back into her stride and began tossing the plan she had formulated in her head.

Let's see, she thought. The Lie, Valkyrie, Arc and Nikos clans are under Schnee rule, but they have agreed to rally to our cause when the time comes. Then, if I am correct, we should be encountering the Wukong clan. They will be easy to overcome. They have been loyal to my family for generations, and they have many worthy warriors following them. The Vasillias, Sage, and Scarlet clans are all loyal to them, so they should follow suit. They'll be the easiest to convince. After that, The Coco, Scarlatina, Fox, and Yatsuhashi clan should join. They too have been nothing but loyal to the Xiao Long clan. The rest are another story. The Fall, Torchwick, Black, Sustrai, and Neapolitan clans owe their allegiance to no one and are fairly chaotic. Perhaps it would be best to save them for last. The few remaining clans will be difficult but not altogether impossible to deal with, but they can be dealt with later. For now, I'll just have to get three main clans out of the way, then I'll think about the others

Yang shook herself from her thoughts when she came to a large open space, with an unpleasant surprise waiting for her. A group of ten large men, all wearing matching black, leather armour and balaclavas stood at the ready, facing Yang and her group. Their leader was easily distinguishable, being the only one on horseback. Bandits. However, Yang smiled. Under normal circumstances, eight against ten was fairly equal footing. However, these men weren't aware of Yang's or her companion's abilities or experience in battle. Even the leader who had the advantage of being on horseback would prove to be no challenge at all. This is going to be easy, Yang thought to herself.

"Well, hello there, pretty lady. What are you doing all along in the deep dark woods?"

Yang smirked. "I am clearly not alone, didn't your mother teach you how to count properly?"

The leader merely gave a single chuckle, and trailed his eyes downwards. "Such a rude mouth for a little girl,"

Yang continued smirking, relishing the idea of beating this man into oblivion, who was obviously checking out her chest, which was popping out slightly from her leather top.

"Well, since I'm in a good mood and you are clearly enjoying the view, maybe I'll let you stare for a few moment," Before I fucking hand your ass to you.

"Whoa, whoa, blondie! I was just looking at your gaunt-" But before he could finish his sentence, Yang leapt straight for him and punched him into a nearby tree, snapping the trunk in half and probably breaking the bandit's spine and ribs. Standing up straight, she gave a sigh and her trademark smug grin.

"Yeah, yeah, you were just staring at my gauntlets, that's what they all say. So, we going to fight or what?" She pointed to the question to the remaining bandits, who fled with all speed into the safety of the forest.

"Oh come on, guys, let's dance! Don't you wanna dance with a gorgeous blonde like me?! It's a once in a lifetime offer!" Yang shouted sarcastically, disappointed that she couldn't at least get a proper fight in. Turning back to meet her friends, she first saw little Ruby, who was smiling sweetly.

"Can you believe those guys, Rubes? Not wanting to have a go with someone as sexy and charming as me? The nerve?" Yang joked. Ruby rolled her eyes and would have retorted, had her eyes not quickly looked over Yang's left shoulder, at the injured bandit leader who was sprinting towards Yang.

"Uh, Yang-" She raised her hand as though to ask a question.

"Don't tell me. That asshole who I punched out has got up and wants to go round two."

"Yep"

"He has his sword raised and a very pissed look on his face,"

Ruby did a quick double take, before returning to Yang. "Uh huh?"

Yang smirked. "Think I can knock him into the woods?"

Ruby nodded, a look of slight amusement on her face. "Most likely,"

Accepting the challenge, Yang waited a few seconds for her would assailant. The rest of her friends weren't worried either, all either wearing expressions of annoyance and impatience, or excited anticipation. Though the light layer of snow masked the sound of the bandit's approach, Yang could still hear his light steps and waited until he was close. However, A loud ZAP came from behind Yang, followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor. Yang turned around to find the body of the bandit on the floor, with a blonde woman behind him. She wore a tattered black cape, and had a horsewhip pointed at the fallen assailant. She wore her pale blonde hair in a bun and had a light shade of green eyes. Yang huffed in annoyance.

"Oh come on! I had him!" Yang whined. The newcomer ignored Yang's outburst as if she heard nothing and walked casually towards her.

"Are you Ms Yang Xiao Long, the first daughter of Taiyang Xiao Long and heir to the throne of Remnant?"

Yang was a little taken aback at the randomness of the question. Sure, she was known by quite a lot of people, most of whom she had never met before, but she never heard anyone address her like that.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch, and a dear friend of mine has requested to meet you. Would you care to meet him?"

Glynda's behaviour unnerved Yang slightly. However, Yang wasn't worried that Glynda meant her any harm. If she had wanted to, she could have easily wiped out her and her friends just as easily as she did the bandit, but she didn't. For a second thing, Yang couldn't detect any hostility from Glynda's body language and – despite her stern tone – seemed overall neutral to Yang. So as far as she could tell, there was no reason not to.

"Alright, show me the way, Glynda,"

"This way please," Glynda said, waving her arm towards the group and walking casually into the forest. Yang signalled her group to follow with a single tilt of her head, and jogged after Glynda, Ruby close by her side.

"Do you think this is a good idea?" Yang heard Weiss half yell to her. The blonde turned to see Weiss coming up close on her unoccupied flank with Blake, slowing to a walk when they were close enough to Glynda, the rest of the group close behind. Yang shrugged to her friend.

"I don't see why not. She could've killed us when she had the chance, but she didn't,"

"Maybe she is leading us into a trap," Blake pointed out.

"I had no idea she was there until after she took that guy down, so what's the point of taking me somewhere to kill me when she could've done the job just there?"

Blake and Weiss thought about it for a second, and Yang assumed from their continued silence that they were satisfied enough with her reasoning.

"What else are you thinking?" Ruby asked.

"I'm thinking she needs to get laid."

Ruby raised her eyes in shock and tried to stifle her laughter, Blake blushed intensely, and Weiss just looked annoyed.

"Pardon?!" The white haired girl asked.

"Come on, can't you tell? Her straight posture, her serious voice, the fact I haven't even seen her so much as smile? She is in more desperate need of a shag than you, Weiss!"

At this remark, Weiss was about to snap back at her smug friend, but Glynda interrupted.

"And where do you propose I get said shag, Ms Xiao Long?" When those words left Glynda's mouth, Yang stopped in her tracks, mortified. Laughing nervously, she ran a stray hand through her long hair and blushed intensely.

"um…well…"

Glynda smirked at Yang's obvious embarrassment, but kept her tone in check, less she betray the fact that she was enjoying torturing the young heir.

"I suggest you keep moving, Ms Xiao Long. Professor Ozpin does not like to be kept waiting."

Still flushed red from embarrassment, Yang jogged to catch up with the rest of her friends, trying to ignore their joyous amusement, ranging from Nora rolling on the floor in tears to Weiss smiling evilly at the tall blonde, daring her to make eye contact.

For fuck's sake, thought Yang, even fucking Ren is laughing at me!

_(Notes: I apologize for the sex joke, my poor attempt at getting humour into this story. Also, PAPA SCHNEE IS THE VILLAIN?! *Screams in terror" OHMYGOD! SO CLICHÉ! Anyway, I wanted to write a chapter of this story as a break from my course work. Don't worry, there will be more character interactions with team JNPR in future chapters, as well as the RWBY guys. In addition, this has been my most edited chapter after posting! YAY! I just discovered the rest of team CFVY got their second names after posting, so I had to change that *sigh*. Also, I need your guy's help. Like desperately. As some of you know, I'm a video game design student, and as part of one of my modules, I need to play testers for one of my modules if you guys could follow the first link, play test a prototype of my game, and follow the second link to do a short survey of it, that would be awesome. This is like 15% of my overall mark, so any help is much appreciated. Please note it only works on computers. Anyway guys, hope you enjoy and ADIOS!)  
_  
2015/03/23/game-proto-test/

s/PV6WMWJ


	3. Chapter 3: New Enemies and Old Allies

By the time Winter had organized her hunting party, it had been a full week since her father had issued the order to track down the remaining Xiao Long, and in that time, the full strength of the snow storm had hit Vale hard, but that wasn't going to hinder the warrior. From any tactician's point of view, a minute you spent delaying was a minute that the opponent could use to strengthen themselves. Though Yang had probably a handful of companions, Winter had little doubt that the young dragon wouldn't stop until she had destroyed what her father worked so hard to achieve. With that in mind, she couldn't afford to make any mistakes and wanted to be thorough when she chose the soldiers who would follow her. So, though she lost a good amount of time looking for new recruits, she was utterly confident in her choice of soldiers to hunt down Yang.

Her new companions seemed nothing special to her at first. However, the four young men – Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark – proved to be more than she first thought. Hailing from families closely allied to the Schnees, each of these young men had promising careers. Granted, they may have not been as experienced as the other men who implored the eldest of Cassius' daughters to fight by her side, but Cardin and his brothers in arms shared something with Winter that these other men did not. Looking through their reports, these four men had undertook many assignments.

They had never failed one.

Everything they were commanded to do, they did without fail.

Despite their impressive track record, it was one particular story that made Winter decide on these men. During the Schnee take over, though Schnee soldiers were quick to quell any resistance from the Xiao Long soldiers, some men managed to slip away. Cardin and his men were tasked with taking out a stronghold that had been captured by a group of Xiao Long loyalists. Though the fortress held against them for weeks, it was due to the craftiness of Cardin Winchester and the men who followed him that the fortress finally fell into Schnee hands. Breaking away from their battalion, they snuck into the fortress disguised as Xiao Long soldiers and opened up access to waiting Schnee soldiers. Though there were still Xiao Long supporters out there and plenty of soldiers managed to escape the takeover with their lives, it was thanks to the efforts of those men that there were no further incidents of resistance.

Though they had gone against orders by doing it, they were the kind of soldiers Winter needed. Men who could get a job done, no matter the cost.

**oo0oo**

Glynda led Yang and her party on a short journey to a cabin deep within the forest. Here, the trees were so thick and tightly packed together, that much of the snow didn't reach the ground. While the lightly forested areas had a thick layer of snow that was difficult to trudge through, there were only small patches of snow on the forest floor. The cabin in itself was quaint. There was no clear path from what the others saw that led up to it, making them wonder how Glynda found it so easily. The cabin itself was neat pile of logs, tucked away within the deep woods.

"Well, this is it," Glynda announced, stopping and turning round to the group. Yang looked up on the small cabin, getting ready to ask Glynda who was so eager to meet her this deep within the woods, but almost on queue, the front door opened to reveal the owner of the cabin. The figure who came out was a tall lanky man. Despite the cold weather, he wore a thin black jacket with a green scarf. His white hair was a few shades darker than the fresh snow that lay in patches on the ground. Another thing that Yang noticed about the new man were his small full moon spectacles and the mug he held in his hand. The glasses that hung off the edge of the bridge of his nose were slightly shaded instead of being completely see-through. The plain white mug he held in hand had a thin stream of steam floating from the top of it. As soon as he noticed his new guest, he took a small mouthful of whatever was in his mug and flashed a small smile.

"Well, well, well, this has been a long time coming, hasn't it, Ms Xiao Long?"

Yang was slightly taken aback by the man's casual greeting. His tone wasn't threatening in the slightest. It was actually warm and welcoming, his soft velvet tone speaking to Yang as though welcoming a lifelong friend. It still was enough to take Yang off guard. Though she wasn't exactly a total stranger in these lands, it still put Yang on edge whenever strangers addressed her. This man seemed to take note of Yang's reaction.

"I apologize, where are my manners? Call me professor Ozpin," He tilted his head so that he could look over Yang's solider, towards the tired party at her back.

"You must be exhausted from your journey. I am aware how this must seem, but if you would care to come inside, I would be more than happy to look after you and your comrades, as well as telling you all you ask of me," He said in his friendly tone. Though Yang felt at ease around this man, she had learned the hard way that appearances could be deceptive. She grudgingly signalled for her party to follow after Glynda and Ozpin, who were heading into the cabin. She went in soon after, her fists clenched and her posture tense. However, as soon as she stepped into the cabin, she gasped at the sight she saw inside.

The cabin seemed to be a lot larger from the interior. One half of the cabin led into a small but neatly organized kitchen, with a small wood fire stove sat snugly in between cupboards, as well as a large dining table surrounded by chairs. The other led into a neat, simple, but homely living room. Three couches surrounded a small protected fire. Behind the couches, there was a step ladder leading up to a second floor and two doors that led into different rooms. On the walls, there were multiple cloths hanging off the furthest wall from Yang, each with different colours and sigils of the different clans. Yang turned towards the kitchen and found Glynda hanging her tattered purple cape off the back of one of the kitchen chairs, and Ozpin bent over the stove, the sound and smell of sizzling meat travelling throughout the cabin. Yang turned around to find her party filed in behind her, all unsure what to do with themselves. The clatter of multiple plates being drawn from a cupboard turned everybody's attention to the kitchen. Ozpin was sliding one slice of cooked meat onto a plate before addressing his guests.

"So, how do you like your meat?"

**oo0oo**

Dinner was a long affair. Even with the combined efforts of his new guests, Ozpin's cooking took them from late afternoon into early evening. Outside, the day surrendered to the ensuing night, and the surrounding forest progressively grew darker, promising with it more cold and all manner of wild beasts. However, inside, it was warm and lively. Ozpin was a gracious, patient and caring host, catering to each individual's different needs and making polite conversation. He enjoyed everyone of his new guests. Ren and Weiss proved to be quite the intellectuals, and Ozpin enjoyed debating with them about different topics over dinner in particular, but he enjoyed all the new presence in his home. As for the group, this was the first time they properly had a chance to enjoy themselves since being forced from their home. Even Yang, always on guard, seemed to lighten up ever so slightly in this new place. When they finished dinner, Ozpin and Glynda graciously lead their guests to bed. Despite dragging spare mattresses from the deep recesses of the cabin and dragging them upstairs, there still wasn't enough for everyone. Jaune, Ren elected to sleep on the couches, while Yang decided to sacrifice her own mattress for Ruby. Yang went to lay by Ruby's side until she fell asleep, getting her a mug of hot chocolate to calm her down. Yang watched as her little sister took a small mouthful of the hot beverage with a look of absolute bliss. The look of happiness on Ruby brought a genuine smile to Yang's face.

"This is a good place, these are good people," Ruby said sleepily, before adjusting herself in her pelts to get in a more comfortable position before falling into a deep sleep. Yang pushed herself up, and kissed her little sister on the forehead before heading into the kitchen to speak with Gynda and Ozpin, who were respectively sipping on mugs of what Yang assumed to be tea and coffee. Ozpin looked at her with a curious eye as she pulled up a seat and sat across from him.

"Can't sleep, Mx Xiao Long?"

"I'm usually a night owl," Yang answered, "and you promised me some answers to my questions?"

At this, Ozpin's face grew from friendly to pensive. Placing his mug down gently on the table, he leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin. Meanwhile, Glynda quickly finished the contents of her mug and went towards one of the doors at the far end of the cabin, leaving the two in peace.

"Well, I am all ears, Ms Xiao Long,"

"First of all, how do you know who I am but I do not know who you are?"

Ozpin smiled softly, before launching into a story. His voice was soft and articulate, as though a father telling his child a story before bedtime. Yang – though patientce was far from her strongest virtue – sat and listened, saving any questions she had for him until he was done.

"I have been a close loyal friend to the kingdom, but hold no affiliations to any of the clans. I suppose you can call me a freelance agent. Though I haven't been in the city for close to a couple of years, I still make it my business to know about what is going on there. However, I was good friends with your grandfather until his death. I was there at your father's coronation, which was the last time I saw your grandfather alive. But I remember everything from that day. I remembered him saying how proud he was of his family. How his son Taiyang had grown strong and powerful despite all the trials life put him through. He told me about how his son's second wife gave birth to his second granddaughter, while his first was training to follow in her father footsteps."

Yang nodded once, signalling she understood everything. She took a minute to process all this information before deciding what question to ask next.

"If it's your business to know everything in the kingdom, why did you let me in? You must've known about what happened and we are all wanted,"

"I know what the public say. Lord Cassius Schnee 'apparently' uncovered information about King Taiyang. Deciding his king was weak and unfit to rule, he upstaged a revolt to remove the king from power and replace him with a better ruler. Things got out of hand, and the king was accidentally killed in the crossfire. However, I do not believe this story. Cassius Schnee has always been a proud and power hungry man, it wouldn't surprise me if he wanted the throne for himself. Now answer me this question, Ms Xiao Long. What are the values that the Xiao Longs hold dearest to them?"

Yang took only a moment to remember the words of her family's names, which had been beaten into her head after years of hard, consecutive lesson.

"Love, loyalty, and strength,"

"And the Schnees?"

"Power, pride, and control,"

Ozpin nodded before continuing. "The Xiao Longs were always strong, benevolent rulers, putting the people of Remnant first. However, the Schnees have always been greedy and selfish, thirsting to gain more than what they already had. It isn't totally implausible that this was all staged by Cassius, a plot to take over, while I have no solid evidence to back up my argument. Your grandfather and father could never be unfit to rule. The Xiao Long family has maintained peace and prosperity for over two centuries. I met him only once, but I seriously doubt your father would've been a weak link in that chain of success. What happened to your father and yourself was an injustice, and for that I am truly sorry."

Hearing her father and her family being talked about in such a way struck Yang with a mixture of pride for her family's history and sadness for her father. She nodded once again and muttered her thanks to Ozpin before he continued again.

"What drove me to ask Glynda to find you was a mixture of need and repayment. On one hand, I have found across recent history the kingdom has always been better off with a Xiao Long in power. On the other hand, your grandfather was a dear friend of mine, and while I couldn't save his only son, perhaps I could save his granddaughters."

Yang smiled, and her curiosity brought a question that she didn't expect to ask.

"So what is the deal with you and Glynda?"

This question took Ozpin off guard, but he was very careful to hide his surprise from Yang.

"Glynda and I have been dear friends for as long as I can remember. There isn't much to explain. I've known her family for a long time, and I have always been there for her. I was her mentor and teacher growing up, and now she is my friend and equal. No more, and no less. Why do you ask?"

"Just out of curiosity," Yang answered honestly, shrugging. Trying to think of something else, she let her eyes wonder before she caught the different cloths with each of the clan sigils. These unique cloths peaked her curiosity.

"What are those?" Yang inquired, pointing towards the general direction of them.

"Those are the past few years of my life. When I spoke to your father at his coronation, he had heard of everything I had for and with your grandfather, and he had a mission for me. He wanted to assure the loyalty of all the families by giving them a piece of history personal to the clans. Those cloths that you see hanging on the walls are the capes of the founding members worn by each clan member. King Taiyang thought that if he gave back the families' piece of lost history, it would at least put him in good graces with each of the existing clan heads. It took me a very long time, but I found them all and was heading back to the capital to return them…but it had already been too late. I've been keeping them here ever since. Would you care to see them?" Ozpin asked politely.

While Yang wasn't big on her history and didn't really much care for such things, she did find it interesting to have pieces of each of the family heritages in a single room. Plus, she didn't want to be rude to the man who so selflessly let her and her friends into her home. So she politely nodded as Ozpin got up and led her on a silent tour of the capes. Each of the capes, though differing in colour and sigils, were the same length as each other. Despite being thickly covered in dust and being ancient, they showed no signs of degradation. Finally, they stopped at the final cape. Yang looked up with burning pride.

This was the cape that belonged to one of her ancestors.

It was beautiful design. It was a solid orange with two thin golden yellow stripes running down the length of the cape. They were spaced apart, leaving space for the sigil of the Xiao Long family - a black burning heart.

Suddenly – after a long silence – Ozpin stepped up and carefully removed the cape from where it hung. Shaking the cape away from them a good few times to get rid of the dust, he folded it up and handed it to Yang.

"By birthright, this is yours. Please take it."

Yang took it gently and held it close to her chest. She was so thankful that a part of her family's history had been given to her. She looked up to Ozpin with a small smile on her face.

"I don't know what to say. Thank you."

Ozpin nodded once and returned the smile.

"Don't thank me. It's yours. But I do have a small favour to request."

Yang raised a single eyebrow, her curiosity rising with it.

"I have some idea about why you're travelling out her. Whether it is what I think it is or not, I would like to travel with you. I couldn't let the only two surviving members of my dear friend go off without my protection. On the other hand, I wish to fulfil what your father intended to do. For these two reasons, I ask that I join you."

At this Yang was in shock. While the logical side of her was thankful for this, knowing that she would need all the help she could get, she just didn't feel right about it. This man was ready to pack and leave everything he owned for a woman he had met less than a day ago.

"But- what about your home? What about Glynda?"

"I appreciate your concern, Ms Xiao Long. But my home will be here when I come back. It is so deep in the forest that it is unlikely anyone will find it. If someone were to, I would simply rebuild it elsewhere. I have already discussed it with Glynda, and she agrees with my decision. I ask that she come along that as well."

Yang contemplated this for a long time. While she didn't know this man, he felt so at ease with him. She could even go as far as to say she trusted him. Yang also knew that she needed all the hep she could get. She had seen Glynda in action, and while she didn't know how strong a fighter Ozpin was, he seemed like a wise man. She honestly saw no reason not to.

"I suppose you put a good argument. Fine."

Ozpin smiled and bowed his head before looking out the window.

"It is getting late, Ms Xiao Long. I am going to retire to my chambers. Perhaps it would be best if you got some sleep as well."

Yang nodded once. Both of them turned off the lights in the lower level of the cabin until the room sat in dim light coming from the clear moonlight outside. Though thickly covered by trees, the light shone through enough to allow Yang and Ozpin to navigate themselves to where they were sleeping. Yang threw herself on the couch, using the Xiao Long cape as a blanket. Though made of thin fabric, it was cosy and kept her comfortable from the cold that crept into the cabin.

And for the first time, she relaxed and fell into peaceful sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Into Vacuo

"Ms Xiao Long, please hurry! We still have a ways to go if you wish to meet the Wukong clan," Glynda ordered Yang, who was panting heavily as she tried to trudge her way through the thick snow, leaning her forearms against her thighs for support.

"Easy… for you…to say…This…is harder….than it looks…" Yang panted as she continued to solider her way through the thick snow. Just as she said that, Nora skipped by her, happily humming to herself, her warhammer hitting her back dully with each stride. Unlike the rest of her party who had followed Ozpin's advice to swap their normal boots for snow boots, Yang stubbornly chose to stay with her usual gear, thinking that she wouldn't need it.

Though her pride would never allow her to admit it out loud, she was starting to regret her decisions. Fucking stupid Cassius Schnee, Yang thought angrily to herself, if it wasn't for that two faced bastardized son of a bitch, I wouldn't be in this mess.

Yang only grew more and more annoyed as each member went by her with significantly more ease than she had. As the last member of the party passed by, she went over the edge of annoyance into anger when she heard Jaune chuckle to himself and speak up in a patronising tone.

"Jeez, Yang, you're supposed to save the kingdom from a tyrannical dictator and you can't even walk on some snow?"

"SHUT UP, JAUNE!" Yang's internal anger flared up and her semblance spiked at the wrong moment. As she was about to leap up at Jaune, the sudden rise in temperature caused the snow that surrounded Yang to melt almost instantly, making her lose balance and hit her back hard against the rocky ground, winding her. When she finally caught her breath and sat up, she sighed and spoke up to her friends.

"Alright guys, I see your point. Toss me the fucking boots." Yang held out her hand expecting a pair of snow boots to come flying over the edge of her new hole, but instead she got nothing. Her anger replaced with worried curiosity, she called out again.

"Guys?"

"Yang, you may want to come up and see this," Pyrhha's voice said, sounding concerned. Yang sprung to attention and climbed out her hole only to be greeted by the business ends of multiple spears, held by lightly armoured soldiers. It was a small war party, about twenty men strong. If they all had the chance to prepare, Yang's party might have stood a chance.

"Well, this day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" Yang grumbled sarcastically as she dusted herself down, carefully avoiding the sharp points which were a little too close for comfort.

"State your business, now!" Barked what Yang assumed to be the leader of the group. He was a lot more lightly armoured than the rest of the soldiers. In fact, he had no armour at all, merely a greyish white shirt and trousers, with a dark grey cape,that fluttered lightly on the small breeze. He also wore a grey helmet with red eyes that resembled a crow. He was stood ready for attack, a giant broadsword held between his hand. A broadsword that seemed all too familiar to Yang.

"We are here to see the Wukong clan," Ozpin uttered calmly. As though he had cast a spell on the lead guard, the man relaxed and lifted his weapon over his shoulder, hanging it off his back. "Come now, you wouldn't harm an old friend, would you?"

"Well, well, isn't this a surprise? It is good to see you, Ozpin, it has been a while." The guard went to shake Ozpin's hand, who grasped it tightly. Throughout this hand shake though, the guard never put away his huge weapon. "While I don't mind meeting old friends, why do you wish to seek an audience with the head clan of Vacuo? Sorry, just procedure" The guard questioned, shrugging slightly.

"It's not for me that I am here. It's for her." Ozpin gestured toward Yang. The guard turned towards Yang, and though she couldn't see his expression of surprise, she heard his gasp. "Lower your weapons, now!" The soldiers obeyed and the leader made his way to Yang, closely inspecting her. Yang stood silently, until she heard a voice which sounded frightening to her.

"Yang…? Is that you…? My, how you have grown up," The harsh man's voice was replaced by a soft whisper, as though the man were about to burst into tears. He removed his helmet to reveal someone Yang thought she would never see again.

"Uncle Qrow?!" She asked loudly surprised, only to be greeted by a large hug and to have the man cry into her shoulder. She returned the hug and the tears shortly after.

"I thought I would never see you again," Qrow sobbed, quickly wiping away his eyes. "When we heard news about what happened at Beacon, we thought you perished. Where is your sis-"

"UNCLE QROWWWW!" Before Qrow could finish off, a small speeding form of solid red nearly tackled Qrow. When it stopped, it was clear it was Ruby, tightly hugging her uncle's legs. Though she too was crying, they were also tears of joy and her smile was as clear as day. "It's so good to see you again."

Qrow smiled, and ruffled her hair softly.

"It's good to see you too, kid," Qrow, then swapped his smile for a blank face, his relaxed posture straightened up to a more military-like stance. "So, why do you wish to see the Wukong clan?"

"I'm sorry, uncle, but this is between me and the head of the Wukong clan," Yang stated. Though she too adopted a business like stance, she felt somewhat sad that she had to

"I understand…I can bring you to him, but just because you are my blood, don't expect me to treat you any differently. I don't expect you to do anything, but this is your only warning you'll get, just like everybody else." Qrow said. Though surprised at the sudden change in tone, Yang understood it was merely protocol and nodded her head in agreement.

"Good. We are about six days from the capital if we walk, but there is a nearby town where we should be able to commandeer some horses. Follow us,"

**oo0oo **

From a plateau nearby, the party were being spied upon by Winter and her troops. Surveying the whole procedure but not making a move, she was too far away to hear any of the conversation, but as soon as she saw Qrow, her blood boiled. Back when the Xiao Longs and Schnees were on agreeable terms, the two regularly butted heads and duelled on many occasions. Now that the alliance between them had shattered, she was half tempted to go down and cut him down right there. But her disciplined side told her to stay put until an ideal opportunity arose.

"Come on, this is taking way too long," Cardin grunted.

Apparently, her companions didn't have the same level of trained patience as she did.

"Winchester, you-"

"SIR Winchester!" He blurted out, only to be greeted by a harsh slap to the face and a blade to his throat. Within the blink of an eye, Winter jumped from her prone position, and drew her scimitar like blade. His friends also drew their weapons, but didn't move.

"You listen here, you impudent pup," Winter ordered harshly. "I am your senior officer, and you will listen to me. That goes for the rest of you,"

"But you're a woman, I don't take orders from women. I am only here because it is your father's wish to find your sister," Cardin bit back, only to feel the cold metal that was mere millimetres away finally making contact with his skin, followed by Winter Cackling.

"Is that supposed to be threatening to me? Is that supposed to be some sort of insult? Besides, didn't your father ever teach you not to aggravate someone with a blade pointed at your throat?" At this statement, Winter looked as if she had a thought, then turned back to them. "I'll tell you what, I shall throw away my blade, and if the four of you can take me down, I shall submit and let you take charge, on my honour as a Schnee." True to her word, Winter threw her sword high in the air so that it disappeared. It was at this moment that Cardin, Sky, Dove, and Russell all lunged at her.

They didn't stand a chance.

With almost unnatural speed and strength, Winter took out all the men rapidly one after the other before they had the chance to even attempt landing a blow on her. In one stride, she had left all four men in pain, rolling on the floor. Expertly, she held out her hand and caught her sword, quickly sheathing it.

"I only invited you on this mission because I had heard you were the most talented soldiers in the army. However, that was a pitiful attack. Don't you dare speak like that to me again. As a matter of fact, don't speak again unless I command you to. Are we clear?" Growled Winter. All of the men grunted in agreement.

"If I have to tell you once again, I will cut out your tongues. The second time you act out of order, I will execute you all on the spot." At this, Cardin looked up in surprise.

"You can't do that!" He lashed out in defence.

"Oh, but I can, boy. For one, I outrank you by many leagues. For two, there are no witnesses. Don't you dare test me," With a tone of finality, Winter twirled on the spot and mounted her horse, ready to follow the party who were heading to Vacuo's capital.

**oo0oo**

"What's wrong, Weiss?" Blake asked, somewhat concerned when her lover suddenly turned to mountains they had just left, looking out into the distance.

"Nothing…it's nothing," Weiss said, though her instincts told her differently. If this feeling continued to bug her, she would tell the group, but for now, she was convinced her feelings were just playing up.

But she couldn't shake the feeling of being followed.

(Notes: I am sorry it has taken this long to update this story, and I am sorry this chapter is so short. I have been dealing with some personal stuff. But I promise after the new year, I will try and have a somewhat regular upload schedule. I hope you guys like this chapter and ADIOS!)


	5. Update

HEY GUYS!

*Twirls thumbs nervously* it's been a while, huh?

OK, I got some bad news for you.

Due to me being an absolute idiot and accidentally frying my laptop, I am unable to write anything on this website until I can get a new one, so it's going to be a while before I update any old stories or publish new ones.

But it's not all bad news! I've been writing up a lot of new material as well as first drafts for new chapters to old stories.

I apologise for any inconvenience. I'll try to aim to get a new laptop within the next few weeks for you guys

I hope to see you guys soon J


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